Ban liquor, save Attappady, demands Suresh Gopi

Actor Suresh Gopi has demanded a ban on the sale of liquor in the tribal hamlets of Attappady, stating that only such a move will ensure that the young generation there will catch up with the mainstream society.

Addressing a Meet-the-Press programme after launching the Literary and Art Forum of the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club here on Wednesday, the actor said he had interacted with women and children of Attappady and was echoing their feelings.

There was a need to go beyond what was happening there at present and look at data on how many tribal youngsters were able to make use of reservation extended to them in the State’s education sector, he said.

Terming unfortunate the controversy over Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Culture Minister K.C. Joseph’s reported statements on the dangerous trends in liquor consumption in Attappady, Mr. Gopi said the women there had told him that liquor consumption was a major threat with children unable to focus on their studies due to drunken brawls at their homes. Therefore, it was necessary to address the issue, apart from thinking of methods such as clamping limits on the quantity of liquor sold elsewhere in the State to address the issue of alcoholism, he added.

Sympathy for Saritha

The actor said he had now started feeling sympathy for solar scam accused Saritha S. Nair, as others who were alleged to be part of the scam were walking scot-free and also because there was no effort to find what happened to the money that was allegedly paid to her or as to who all had paid that money.

There was no effort to protect a woman’s privacy either, he said, adding that while the guilty should be punished, there should be an effort to retrieve the money as well and to return the same to those who were cheated.

A similar approach had been seen in the Total 4 U scam, where the depositors were left high and dry, he felt.

Entry into politics

Mr. Gopi tackled questions on a possible entry into politics asking why he was being asked that question when it should be others who were more evidently associated with a particular party who had to be asked about that.

He was friendly with all political parties and personalities, and not just one. If destiny was such, he might contest an election but, as of now, he was busy preparing to return to movies after a four-year television stint.

Shooting for two movies was set to begin in February while he would also be seen in Tamil director Shankar’s I along with actor Vikram in a role, which would be a ‘shocking revelation’.